On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum, Jo Mannies and Rachel Lippmann welcome Alderwoman-elect Annie Rice to the show.

Rice defeated 8th Ward Democratic Committeeman Paul Fehler on Tuesday to represent the ward in the St. Louis Board of Aldermen. The 8th Ward takes in the Shaw, Southwest Garden, Tower Grove South and Tower Grove East neighborhoods.

Rice is an immigration attorney who was elected in 2016 to be the committeewoman for the 8th Ward. When Alderman Stephen Conway resigned to become the city’s assessor, both Rice and Fehler sought the Democratic nomination for the 8th Ward seat. The St. Louis Democratic Central Committee picked Fehler, but Rice ultimately decided to run as an independent.

Unlike other aldermanic races, Rice and Fehler refrained from engaging in negative attacks against each other. But the candidates’ supporters didn’t take that tack on social media. Some of Rice’s detractors were upset she ran as an independent, even though members of the Democratic Party hold all of the citywide and aldermanic offices. Fehler’s critics tried to paint him as closet conservative, despite, like Rice, endorsing Bernie Sanders for president.

In the end, Rice ended up winning by a wide margin. She’ll be the only “independent” on the Board of Aldermen when she’s sworn in later this month, but she is planning to seek the Democratic nomination when the seat is up next March for a four-year term.

Here’s what Rice had to say during the show:

She’s supportive of a plan to place a “buffer zone” around Planned Parenthood’s building in the central corridor. Protesters that oppose abortion rights often demonstrate close to that facility.

Rice said she’s steadfastly opposed to a bid to privatize St. Louis’ airport. Before that issue even reaches the Board of Aldermen though, it’s possible that a board consisting of the mayor, comptroller and Board of Aldermen president could kill the proposal.

She believes there could be an effort to repeal a charter amendment reducing the Board of Aldermen from 28 to 14 members. Rice said she’s concerned with how the move will affect African-American representation and political power. “They may still vote for reduction and that’s absolutely their right,” she said, referring to city voers. “But to be presented with the information again in the climate that we’re in, with the Ferguson Commission report and with the understanding of what our region is, would we still make the same decision?”

When redistricting happens after the 2020 census, Rice said the Board should strongly consider having an outside organization to draw the aldermanic boundaries. “There is a level of self-interest that comes in when you draw your own lines,” she said. “And I don’t think we’re at the point where there’s enough trust in that body from the people to draw these lines equitably.”

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Updated at 12:45 p.m. Feb. 8th with audio — Voters in the 8th Ward, around Tower Grove Park, will go to the polls on Tuesday — Mardi Gras — to pick their new representative at City Hall.

The seat opened up in late November when Steve Conway, who had served as alderman for 27 years, resigned to become the city assessor. The winner will be the ninth new member of the Board of Aldermen elected since April.

Voters in St. Louis’ 8th Ward will go to the polls on Tuesday to pick their new alderman. The seat has been vacant since November, when long-time alderman Steve Conway resigned to become the city’s assessor. The ward covers parts of the Shaw, Tower Grove East and the Southwest Garden neighborhoods.

Two candidates — Democrat Paul Fehler and independent Annie Rice — are vying to fill the rest of Conway’s term. Whoever is elected can run for a full term in 2019. Here are some key things to know about Tuesday’s election.

On the latest edition of the Politically Speaking podcast, St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum and Jo Mannies welcome back St. Louis County Councilwoman Colleen Wasinger to the program.

The Huntleigh Republican represents the council’s 3rd District, which includes municipalities such as Kirkwood, Manchester, Fenton, Sunset Hills, Frontenac and Valley Park. Wasinger has represented her district since 2007.